Trial Between Pitch Black Hope And Pure White Despair
by HazyDayzz
Summary: The final trial for Hope and Despair. They had guessed the mastermind's identity was Junko Enoshima. When it is actually reviled to be the Super High School Level Luckster, everyone is in shock. Even Makoto himself. DanganRonpa 1; Mastermind! Naegi; Finished on an unsatisfying note.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: The final trial for Hope and Despair. They had guessed the mastermind's identity was Junko Enoshima. When it is reviled to be the Super Level Luckster, everyone is in shock. Even Makoto himself. Now, as the truth is uncovered, will Naegi loose himself in reality, or can the Luckster be saved by hope DanganRonpa 1; Mastermind! Naegi; Will probably be at least 3 chapters in this.

Disclaimer: I do not own DanganRonpa. Cover Image By tsukichu. Find them on Tumbler and enjoy!

Please Review!

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The elevator ride seemed shorter than usual. Naegi rubbed his left eye and looked over at Kirigiri. She was looking as serious as ever. He gave her his signature bashful smile. They had figured it out. Enoshima was the mastermind. She had her sister pretend to be her while she pulled the strings from behind the scenes. They were going to end this game once and for all. Everyone could finally go home and leave Hope's Peak Academy.

The trial started smoothly, with Naegi and Kirigiri explaining and presenting the evidence with ease. As expected, Monokuma tried to deny any and all facts that Junko Enoshima was the mastermind. Every time the bear built a claim as to why the mastermind had to be someone in the room, Naegi would fire the statement apart. Finally, Mukuro's trial had come to an end.

"So the mastermind hid Junko's face from us because if we saw it, we'd know it was a different person from the one we had met before." All attention was on Naegi now. "Isn't that right, Junko Enoshima?!"

"W-what?!" the bear screamed, "That's not true at all!"

"You've got that wrong!" Monokuma was caught off guard by the outburst. He lost his balance and almost feel over. "If it's not true, then let's put it to a vote." The brunette smiled to his friends. The remaining classmates cast their ballot. Everyone had agreed. Enoshima was the mastermind.

The jackpot machine buzzed to life. The lights flashed and three wheels full of student faces spun around, until each of the wheels fell upon a picture of Junko. Instead of the usual chime nothing happened. No bouquet of flowers appeared to congratulate them, but most shocking of all, the word's "GUILTY" didn't show up at the bottom of the machine. Instead a big, fat "WRONG" did.

The whole room went silent. Confusion was apparent on everyone's face. The black and white bear cut through the courtroom.

"Upupupupup! I told you it was wrong!" Naegi was speechless. How… could that be… wrong? Sweat ran down his face. What could they have missed? Monokuma was having a ball. "What's wrong? Bear got your tongue?"

"So that's it then? Are we going to be executed now?" Hagakure asked.

"That's not fair!" Asahina shouted.

"Ooh, this is all Naegi's fault. I knew we shouldn't have trusted him!" Fukawa bit down on her thumb furiously. "If Togami was in charge, this wouldn't have happened!"

"Indeed." Togami said, matter-of-factly.

"H-how…?" The Super High School Level Luckster felt fear, confusion, and dare he say it, _despair_? No that couldn't be it. He couldn't give in. The brunette's face was red with frustration. His left eye was having the worst of it. It was burning with irritation. He looked down, refusing to look the bear in the eye. "Then how are we wrong. Explain i-it."

"Oh? It's easy really. The video that you we'ren't able to finish earlier showed ya'll agreeing to the terms of you're confident by the previous principle. Well, not everyone wanted to be cooped up in with you lot, and decided to decline the offer. Mukuro, the Super High School Level Soldier would rather face the terrifying world outside Hope's Peak than stay here with you." Monokuma replied. "The body you thought was Mukuro? That was just Junko's body. Upupupupup! You'd be surprised how far a little makeup can go. That being said… The mastermind is one of you!"

"Alright! Fess up. Whoever is behind this, reveal yourself." The blond pointed to everyone in the room.

"How do we know it isn't you? You're the one with bucket loads of cash!" Asahina shouted back.

"Guys, we can't turn against each other! That's exactly what the mastermind wants us to do!"

"Very interesting, Naegi. And how would you know what the mastermind would want, hmm?"

"Oh, yes! Continue to point fingers! It just makes it even more despair enduring for the rest of you! And don't forget, that notebook you found, Naegi. Two Super High School Level Despairs snuck their way into this fine institution. Don't worry, I'll make it easier for you. One of them is already dead."

"That's enough. Monokuma, tell us who the remaining Despair is." Kirgrigiri demanded. He just laughed in reply.

"Let's see… eeny meeny miny, you." His black claw bounced over the heads of the remaining students until landing upon Makoto Naegi. The Luckster stared back in disbelief. He staggered back. Asahina covered her mouth in shock.

"I knew it! I knew it!"

"Shut up you." Togami glared at Fukawa for her outburst. "Naegi, is this true?"

"N-no! It's not me!" There was no way it could be him. Why was Monokuma pointing him out? "How would I be able to control Monokuma if I'm here?"

"Upupupup! No one is controlling me! Ever heard of an AI?" The bear posed in a way to present himself seductively. "Oh, but who could design such a complex AI?" he asked in a mocking tone, as he already knew the answer. Everyone gasped as the answer came to mind. It could only be the one and only Super High School Level Programer. Chihiro Fujisaki.

"No… Not little Fujisaki…" The Super High School Level Swimmer was on the brink of tears. "Y-you're lying! Fujisaki and Naegi aren't killers or masterminds!" Naegi couldn't take this anymore. He was too confused and mind boggled to believe any of this.

"Don't believe me? Alter Ego isn't just some little craft Fujisaki came up with in the five days he was here. Alter Ego was created a loooong while back. Infact, Fujisaki uploaded his memories onto the little guy. He was a pure piece of work, if I would see one. As for the brunet punk, why else do you think Alter Ego saved him, and _only_ him? If Alter Ego could stop _Detention_ then he would have no problemo letting the rest of ya out of Hope's Peak."

"But why? Why go through all this madness. What would they have to gain from this?" Togami asked.

"Why don't you ask him yourself," Monokuma replied. Naegi made the mistake of looking up and met eyes with the blond. He immediately clasped them shut.

"It... isn't... me..." Suddenly, a black button appeared out of nowhere. Monokuma pressed it and a television screen came out of the wall. Naegi heard loud gasps, but refused to look up, in fear of what he might see.

" _Well, hey. If you're watching this, congrats. You were smart enough to make it to the end."_ That voice made his heart stop for a moment. No one made a sound. He didn't think anyone even breathed. He hesitated but finally looked up at the screen. He couldn't believe it.

It was him. Makoto Naegi. He was wearing a black and white jacket instead of his usual dark gray one. His hood had two black and white bear ears and was pulled over his head, but his face and hair was still visible. He had a little pin resembling Monokuma's red eye on the front of his jacket and a plush Monokuma was inanimate in the background.

The Naegi on the screen had a certain smile on his face, it wasn't one that spelled out "evil mastermind", it was one that someone would share between friends. He was sitting on Monokuma's throne and his left eye had a red iris for whatever reason. The current Naegi unconsciously clutched his own irritated eye. He gasped when he felt a small layer of plastic. A contact lense. He took it off. It was a light shade of greyish hazel. The same color as his right eye. So… he was wearing a contact the whole time? Those past weeks? He looked down, refusing to meet anyone's gaze, in fear he might look like the him on the screen.

" _Changes are, there aren't many of you left, if not only me. I hope you've had a great time! I wish I could be there, but that would've defeated my goal. This doesn't mean it's over though. School Life of Mutual Killing has one more trial on the docket. Anyway, we'll get to that. How are you feeling, Makoto?"_ The brunette's on the screen seemed to look straight at Naegi. It made him feel sick. " _Sadness? Anger? Confusion? Fear? Despair?"_ He tensed at the last word. Asahina was glancing back and forth from the screen to the Naegi in the room in confusion.

"Why? Why did you-" She was interrupted by Togami.

"Isn't it obvious, he wanted us to kill each other for his own sick desires."

"W-what?! I d-didn-"

" _Oh well. Enough with that crap!"_ The Naegi on the screen's personality changed within a split second. He had an insane smile on his face. " _I bet 'cha wanted me to go blabbering on, monologuing about my motive. Well that's too freakin' bad! Like I said, we have one more trial here! It's simple! You'll be voting for either Despair or Hope. If you unanimously vote for Despair, you'll get to live out the rest of your lives outside of Hope's Peak but the me you all know and absolutly love, will die. But if just one of you votes for your previous hope, then you'll be trapped here forever and I'll be put through another type of punishment. One that won't kill me but will still do some harm. So go ahead and vote!"_ His expression changed again. This time he looked like a shy, timid boy. " _Or not… You don't have to vote if you don't want to, I guess… I don't wanna make you do something you don't want to do…"_ Then it changed to a more friendly tone. " _Naw, JK. Vote or die is the saying. And you will die if you try to restrain from voting."_ And with that, the screen turned black.

The remaining students looked at each other. Naegi, the real one this time, was terrified. Why would he ever do this? This had to be a bad dream… Or a joke. Just a sick joke. He looked each of his friends in the eye.

"...I don't know if this is real or not… But you all deserve to leave this place. I-if I have to die for your freedom, then I'd rather not live another second so you may leave quicker." he ducked his head again. His friends hesitantly put in their vote. Giddily, Monokuma looked over them, personally.

"One for Despair. Two for Despair. Three for Despair. And another! This one too! And six is the lucky-!" The bear paused and took another look at the piece of paper. "What is this? A vote for hope?" His metal eye flared red. Naegi looked around, wondering who would try to spare him. Kirigiri was staring downwards, almost ashamed. "What is the meaning of this?! You have the chance to go home, and you'd rather stay here?! You're going to take your classmates down with you, you know!"

"Kiri, what are you doing?" Naegi asked. "Why would you vote for hope when that would mean living the rest of your live here?" The Super High School Level Detective bit her lip.

"Because I don't want you to die." she replied in a faint whisper. Togami slammed the railing in front of him.

"Dammit,!" he hissed, "we could have left this god forsaken place, and yet you still have hope for _him_? Do you realize he is the mastermind behind all of this! Now you've doomed us all."

"Are you saying there is something wrong with me having hope?" the Detective asked.

"It doesn't matter about Despair or Hope anymore. What matters is the livelihood of those who are left!" the blonde shot back.

"My, my, everyone please calm down. Well, you saw 'em. The votes are in." the bear cleared his non existent throat, "welcome to Hope's Peak Academy, where you will be spending the rest of your miserable lives. Oh, but first. It's Punishment Time!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors notes at the bottle, please read!**

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The Luckster was caught off guard as the jackpot machine started up again. This time, it landed on his own face and the words "GUILTY" showed up at the bottom.

He staggered back as a metal collar stretched out of the wall and classed around his neck. He was going to die wasn't he? Or be tortured? Before he could do anything, the collar was yanked backwards, pulling him into another room. His first thought was that he was going through Leon's execution, but he ended up strapped to a metal table instead. He felt a dozen sharp pains pierce into the top of his head.

Monokuma entered holding up an extention cord and a plug. He chuckled for a few minutes before plugging it in. Naegi groaned as everything went numb. He grew pale with fear as he started to realize what was happening. The Ultimate Punishment. He was getting his memories back.

He tried staying in pure denial, but that proved difficult because he knew everything was true. He screamed, desperately wanted wanting it to stop. Death would have been a mercy. He actually wished he was in _Detention_. Instead he was forced to sit back and remember… Everything. Togami was right. He was _sick_.

When the process was over, Naegi closed his eyes and allowed the throbbing to take his thoughts away. It took too much effort to do anything. So it was true. He was the Super High School Level Despair. He gave out a pitiful laugh. He knew why he did it. He knew every trick and secret inside the school. He knew why Fujisaki helped him.

The metal restraints released their hold upon his feet and arms. The luckster waited until the pain subsided and dulled before hauling himself out of the chair. He felt as if his thoughts were just a jumble of meaningless words and actions that were at war with each other. He wondered what his friends thought of him. He wondered if he even cared.

He followed the monochrome bear out of the room and into the halls. He was lead back to his room, where he sighed and laid on his bed, his arm covering his face. He honestly wasn't sure what to do now. He had won. But _that_ feeling gnawed at him from head to toe. He smiled. That was his goal, wasn't it?

There isn't a way to feel despair if you absolutely want to feel it. The only way the optimistic luckster could have the emotion would be if he forgot he wanted it in the first place. The whole plan was for him to befriend everyone, and though he joined the school for his luck, his real talent was making friends and allies. Then, when he realized all the deaths were on his hand, he could finally have the feeling he craved for.

The only reason he couldn't have it was because he hoped he could be filled with despair, and since despair is the _lacking of hope_ that wasn't possible. And what a great plan it was. He had unconsciously followed it though entirely. So why did he feel unsure about what to do now? He hadn't really planned this far. What was going to happen was that everyone would get set free and he would stay at Hope's Peak and die in the most horrible way possible.

Oh, but Kiri just _had_ to ruin that plan.

Even when the right answer was painfully obvious.

She voted for hope.

Why did that fill him with more despair than his whole plan did?

Everyone was gathered in the cafeteria. Naegi hadn't come back yet, and he had been gone for two hours. No one was talking to each other. No one held a spark of hope. Their expressions were of grave sorrow. They would be living like this for the rest of their lives. Kirigiri sat alone. Togami would glare in her general direction every five minutes with a grunt. She wouldn't reply. Even if she wanted to, what was there to say? She definitely wasn't going to apologize to him or anyone else. Asahina poked an uneaten donut that sat on her plate. The previous events caused her to lose her appetite.

Suddenly the door swung open. Kirigiri looked up hoping to see the burnett Luckster. Togami glanced with a scowl. Fukawa shrieked in fear and hid behind her _white knight_ with Hagakure hiding behind her, causing the Heir to scowl even more. Instead of Naegi, Monokuma entered giggling up a storm.

"Monokuma, what's going on?!" Asahina asked.

"Your lil' friend Makoto just went through his punishment. Geez, by now, you'd think you would have the hang of it. Kids these days…" The bear replied, mumbling to himself.

"He didn't do anything wrong though!"

"Sweetums, he trapped you in a school and forced you to kill your friends. If that's not wrong, then what is?"

"See. Even the bear agrees," The blond said crossing his arms. Kiri looked down into her lap again. "so, where is Naegi. Not dead I presume."

"Oh no. He's just resting in his room. As soon as he's better, he will resume his role as your headmaster."

"If he's our new headmaster, what does that make you?"

"Huh, I'm not sure…" With that Kiri stood up and started walking out of the room.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Togami ran up to her and grabbed her arm angrily.

"To check on him," she replied.

"Like he would let anyone into his room at this momen-" the blond immediately shut up when the Detective took out a skeleton key with a little clay head of Monokuma at the end. "What is that?"

"It lets me open any door on campus. Now let go." Her icy tone was enough to cause Togami to let go of her. Asahina got up and ran after her.

"Wait for me!"

"Wha-.. Uh… You think you can go without me!?" Togami recomposed himself and joined the chase. Likewise, the remaining two came as well.

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 **Authors Note: Sorry this is short and stupid. Kinda forgot this story was there. So have some bi-weekly updates.**

 **Also I'm sorry this chapter is dumb. I don't know where this story was going... but I'll figure it out. See you in two weeks. Review or whatever...**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I know where I wanna go with this. I had the beginning planned out and I have the ending planned out (though things may change). But it's the part from A to Z that I'm having trouble with. Sorry if these next few chapters seem rushed as hell and if the dialogue and actions seem there for plot convenience. I'm trying my best to make it sound natural, but easier said than done… And I wanna explain everything, but I don't wanna monologue and crap. So, bare with me~!**

 **Also maybe OOC Togami (he seems fine to me)**

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Kiri didn't bother knocking on the door to Naegi's dorm. She simply stuck in the key and practicly kicked the door open. Naegi didn't even react. He was still, almost as if he was a corpse, but Kiri relaxed as she saw his chest rise and fall. At least he was breathing. But she didn't know what to do now. Yell at him? No, her trust was her own fault. Ask him about his motive? She was afraid of what it was. Demand to let everyone go? He had won fairly, because of her.

Her mind buzzed with questions and statements, but after all that, she remained silent. Togami on the other hand, did not.

"Naegi get up and explain this whole mess to us! If you are indeed in charge here, then we have the right to know of your agenda!" The boy didn't stir.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to hurt us, right? And if you did, it had to be a good reason, right?!" Asahina pressed desperately. Still nothing. Togami was tried of being clueless in this situation, and decided it was best to get answers out of him. By beating him with his own pillow. This was soon interrupted by giddy laughter as Monokuma entered the room.

"Aw, you poor kids... Forgetting the rules already? Rule five, violence against the headmaster isn't allowed." the bear reminded them.

"As I recall, rule number five states that, violence against headmaster _Monokuma_ is strictly prohibited, as is destruction of surveillance cameras. This is headmaster _Makoto Naegi_ we're talking about, apparently," Kirigiri replied crossing her arms. Deciding there was nothing stopping him, Togami continued hitting Makoto with the pillow with Fukawa cheering him on.

Makoto just wanted to be left alone. But they just _had_ to come to his room, didn't they? He eventually sat up, causing the blond to halt his pillow assault. A part of him was glad his friends came, they still cared about him, well, Kiri anyway… He bit down on his hand to try and get rid of the thought, then he closed his eyes and started giggling like a maniac.

When he just stopped abruptly, he gave everyone a cold, sharp look. "Who gave you permission to come into my room?" Distaste filled his mouth, but he didn't show it.

"Don't give us that, we want to know what's going on." Togami said. He scoffed, and stood up.

"You want me to run my mouth off, explaining everything, monologuing until you understand? Haha, fuck that." He got up and crossed his arms. It felt so... odd. He was forcing himself to act hostile and assertive to his friends. "The reasoning behind my madness doesn't matter does it? We're all gonna hit the grave at some point and understanding wont help you."

"We don't care about that. You better have a damn good reason for forcing us to kill. And an even better one for even wanting us to say here for the rest of our lives. Why not just kill us?"

"I am killing you though…." Makoto said, taking on the personality of a depressed timid child. "I'm k-killing you of old age and b-boredom…."

There actually was a good reason he was trying different personalities. It wasn't because he was bored of one and wanted to try another. It wasn't because he liked to see everything through a different mind set. It was mostly because, he was trying to get away from his normal hope-filled personality. He was born an optimist. He always had hope. That being said, there was no way for him to feel despair. He always looked on the bright side, always made friends who were attracted to his hope, it was like he was immune to despair.

Makoto could get mad, sometimes a little greedy, but he never despaired. When he learned he couldn't feel that one emotion due to his hope, ironically, he felt it. Only for a second though. That didn't stop him from becoming addicted to the feeling.

The brunette tried desperately to get that one emotion back, but he was running in a paradox. Despair is the loss or absence of hope. Apparently, if you _hope_ _for_ _despair_ , you can't actually have it. He loved the feeling though and would do _anything_ to feel it again. He came up with the most despair inducing plan a person could create.

Sure, he drove the world to madness, many people were killed, governments toppled, anarchy reigned, but those were just a few casualties. In his mind, he did them a _favor_ by giving them despair. It was something he couldn't have, so they should be grateful to him. But that wasn't enough. He needed to hurt those whom he held close, why not his friends and family? First he had to test his plan…

Before anything else had occurred and before the incident, he manipulated the student council into participating into the first ever Mutual Life of School Killing. It was quite easy, since he could befriended almost everyone he meets. Then he just had to manipulated them from there. It worked out perfectly, except for the two survivors.

So, he set up preparations for the second killing game and erased everyone's memories. He erased his own desire for despair and memories of what he did. Makoto went through hell and back to get what he wanted, he wouldn't let his stupid optimism take it away now.

"Earth to Naegi." The Luckster blinked and snapped out of his thoughts. Togami was standing in front of him staring unapprovingly.

"Huh? What is it?" he asked in a friendly tone.

"W-we want answers and you better talk! Or Togami will…" Fukawa just left her statement there and bit her thumb.

"I understand you want us to despair inside these walls, but that would be boring as hell for your viewers correct?" Togami asked, remembering this whole thing was being broadcast, worldwide. "But since there are no more motives to get us to kill each other, explain everything. How did you get your hands on the technologies you have. The CD that contained the first motive, what was that? The ten billion yen you showed us, I'm sure even if you did infiltrate a school, the facility wouldn't just have that kind of money lying pictures of us posing together, forged, right? I want to know all of it, and I'm sure some of the _nice_ people watching would also like to know the answer to these mysteries as well."

Makoto laughed as he reviewed all his previous actions through his head. How he obtained everything… How he got those videos and pictures. It felt so strange, the memories of himself before he remembered all of this still lingered. That part of him was heartbroken, and just wished it was all a nightmare or something unreal. He didn't know what he wanted anymore… But he'd give them some answers. Maybe that would fill them up with despair, knowing the truth.

"Well?" Kirigiri asked. Makoto got off his bed and smiled at them, his red eye looked as if it was flaring, just like Monokuma's.

"Alright _class_. Please make you're way to the Multi Media room," he said in a _sweet_ tone. All six students, plus Monokuma, exited his room, with Makoto leading the way. They wanted the truth, he'd give them one.

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 ** **Author's Note - Did you cringe? I did… How was that explanation of sorts? Also, rant time! I hate Junko. What she did makes no sense. As the story says, you can't have despair, if you hope for it or want it. The dictionary isn't wrong! Also i'm referring to Naegi as Makoto now. It just sounds better. Also, this will need more than three chapters obviously, and if all goes well, I might make a sequel (haha, don't count on it). But see you in another two weeks everyone!****

 **PS: So so soooo sorry for the late update! Internet went down… :/**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note - Hai, everyone who cared to stick around for chapter 4, here she is! Or he… Oh well. Time to explain some stuff… And since this is an AU, I can kinda mold the history of things around. Woo. Also incorporating some DanganRonpa 2 and Another Episode into this too. So spoiler warning..? Ah, yes, I don't ship Makoto and Kirigiri.**

 **OOC Togami (maybe?)**

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The MultiMedia room was just as they remembered it. DVD players were scattered along in rows and columns. The big screen in the front of the room was seemingly frozen on a close-up of Monokuma's head. Togami scoffed and crossed his arms. Makoto ran to the front of the room as it started filling up with smoke.

"I knew it! He's going to kill us!" the Super High School Level Writer shrieked. Instead, as the smoke cleared, a stage was present at the front, slightly shorter than the bottom of the big screen. Ten billion yen was neatly stacked in the middle, and six chairs were placed near the stage. Monokuma waddled over and took his seat by the end. The remaining SHSL also, reluctantly, took their seats.

The black and white bear kept laughing, as if he knew what was in store (which he probably did). Kiri just wanted him to shut up. A few minutes later, she realized he stopped. And left his chair? She looked behind her chair and saw him dressed like a popcorn vender.

"Upupupupu-popcorn! Get your popcorn! Ooh, the show is going to start!" Hagakure took a bag and so did Asahina, though she was disappointed it wasn't donuts. Suddenly the screen changed to show Makoto, almost like the first video from a few hours prior. He was in that black and white jacket, with the hood pulled over his head. He smiled, seeing as the screen was working, and hopped forward and peered into the video camera. It was very much unneeded as he was already on the stage in front of them.

"Hellooooo, everyone!" he shouted. It took her a second to see he was addressing the camera and not the SHSL's. "We are now entering, School Life of Mutual Killing; the Reveal Arc!"

"About damn time," the Heir said.

"But if I tell everyone it won't be a secret anymore. And knowing you'll be missing out will definitely fill you with despair! Monokuma, kill the video fed!" Makoto points to the bear, who is now holding a high tech video camera.

"Alrighty boss," the bear hits a button and a red light on the camera starts blinking. It gets faster and faster until Monokuma throws it into the air. It explodes and debris falls on the remaining students.

"Anyway, Togami, I see you eyeing this money. Go wild, here." The Luckster kicks the pile of yen into the makeshift audience. Instead of scrambling to take as much as she wanted like Hagakure, Kiri kept her face toward Makoto.

"Are you bribing us to keep our mouths shut? If so, it's not going to work," she said crossing her arms. She gave him a cold glare. He, in turn, gave her an insane grin.

"Pfffftt, hahaha, this money's worthless!" He stopped laughing abruptly and gave her his bashful smile. She _hated_ that smile. And she hated how that was untrue.

"Worthless?" Togami asked, grabbing a handful.

"Don't repeat my words! And yeah. Worthless. Ever hear of inflation? We'll take it and put it on steroids. This stuff couldn't get you crap in this country!" Togami glared.

"I don't recall any of this happening! We've been here a few weeks, is that correct?"

"Nope, not at all! The answer should have been obvious, forceful amnesia. Those pictures were real. Chihiro took them straight from our yearbook, and just photoshopped Junko on there. I didn't get it at the time, but it's clear now."

"N-not Chihiro…" Asahina was still upset about the Programmer.

"Chihiro was tired of getting bullied and made fun of. They also begged for me to let them help with everything. This technology was already here, they just installed a few machine guns and traps." Kiri's eyes widened, remembering something.

"You killed my father." She had to try really hard to prevent her voice from cracking. She definitely wasn't going to give him any satisfaction.

"O-oh yeah." She raised her head to look him in his eyes. Was that hesitation? He grinned at her. "Aren't you glad? I wrapped his bones up for you in that nice present!"

"Enough about that. We get it, you're a killer. Why did this school have this kind of technology around? And describe, in detail, about our… amnesia."

"Hold on, I can only answer so much. Uh… Oh yeah, the school was turned into a shelter to protect us all from this." The screen changed to show absolute carnage. There were toppled buildings, a cult of Monokuma's, and dead corpses littering the streets. "Can you believe, Chihiro managed to wipe two whole years from everyone's memory? We've missed a lot, I'm kinda sad I missed most of it…"

"How do we even know this is true?" Kiri was skeptical. This didn't seem real. And something was very off with Makoto. Even more so than an evil mastermind should be. It was like he hated this as much as everyone else.

"Why don't you ask her?" Makoto pointed to Fukawa. Said girl jumped in terror.

"W-what?! I d-don't remember any of this!" She shrieked.

"Dammit, even revealing you're plans, you're still as observant as ever." Togami seemed a little jealous. "Okay, Fukawa, let us talk to Sho. Her memories are separate from yours, correct?"

"Eek! No!"

"Do it." Fukawa sneezed, then in a swift motion, took pains of scissors out of her dress.

"You called?" She smiled and stuck her gigantic tongue out of her mouth.

"Examine the screens, is what you see true?" The blond gestured to the screens.

"Well yeah, it's just the most despair inducing incident to happen to the world-"

"Why did you never bring this up before?!" Asahina asked.

"I came to a strict, don't ask, don't tell police. Keeps me out of unnessisary trouble. But yeah, whatcha see is true." The serial killer smiled.

"S-so… we all knew each other. That's why these pictures look so real. We were all friends! And that also m-means the f-first motive… Was…" Asahina started crying. "You killed Sakura! Y-you… Killed her…" The Swimmer broke down. "And…you have... Y-yuta…."

" ...y-yeah… Sorry… At least i-it's safe in here…" He said timidly. Another personality, Kiri supposed.

"How?" Was the only thing Kiri could manage to ask.

"Let's see, a group of kids and fifteen Super High School Level Remnants of Despairs." He shruged. "Well sixteen if you count Chihiro." Togami looked unsure.

"How did you get them to follow you?"

"Eh? Well, all of you seemed to trust me before. Get someone's trust, find what they value most, break their spirit and anyone can become addicted to wonderful despair!"

"I fail to believe that a handful of people could pull off this kind of world wide terror. So are you part of an organization? A large family perhaps?" Togami asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Uh, neither. Despair spreads like wildfire or the plague. Just had to cause a large discord between governments and then I got to sit back and watch the flames-" Genosider started laughing like crazy.

"Bawhaha! Are you telling me shrimpo over here's the creep who locked us in here?! Bawhahaha!"

"Can I ask why?" Kiri asked quietly.

"Why not?" was the Lucksters reply. She evened out his gaze. Begging, almost, for an answer. She couldn't read his expression, but there was a bit of… Something humane. "...t-this isn't the first killing game." He said after a while, dodging the question.

"There was another?"

"Yup, this is in fact the second School Life of Mutual Killing. The first involved the student council of Hope's Peak, and a student from the reserve course. It ran quite smoothly, but it ended with two survives." Makoto looked down, he was sick of this it would seem.

"So you lost you're memories too, correct?" she asked.

"Yup." He smiled. She watched him carefully.

"So what was the Ultimate Punishment you went through anyway?"

"Simple, I got my memories back." Makoto said. It was clear he was addressing her personally. She nodded. He really wasn't enjoying any of this. So his punishment was knowing he did this to his friends. Fitting, almost.

"Enough." Kirigiri got up. "I'm done here, I think I've learned enough." She started walking away.

"C-come back!" The Luckster seemed to panic as she left. She had no idea why. Kiri went to her dorm and locked the door behind her. Makoto didn't have his previous skeleton key, so there was no way he was coming in.

* * *

 **I hope I explained everything okay. Any questions, comment with you're account and I'll try to explain better in a PM. See ya next (two) week(s)! PS, comment if you want weekly updates instead, I'll see if I can cut my writing time in half… Also check out my poll!**

 **I'm thinking about making a sequel after this one is over, that includes (most of) the plot DanganRonpa Ultra Despair Girls, but with everything altered to fit in with this story's history. (Or maybe I'll just skip to DanganRonpa 2 Goodbye Despair...) Only time will tell.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for late update… Regular bi-weekly updates will resume. So the 15th of April. Yeah. I would appreciate reviews. No, I don't need flattery, but I do wanna know if people actually like this or not. If not, then that's okay, I just need to know if I should start planning for a sequel. (Ideas be a brewin')**

 **Also, this will be one of those transitioning chapters. I hate these so much. Just trying to get from point A to point B. Expect this one to suck. And be short.**

 **(Just accept it like a stupid April Fools joke)**

 **OOC Kirigiri maybe?**

* * *

Kiri took a long deep breath before lying down on her bed. She felt somewhat… Bad for the events that had just taken place. But she didn't know who to take pity for, Makoto or her other friends, if she could even call them that. The Detective didn't know how to save or salvage the situation they were in. She wasn't Makoto. And now that Makoto, the one who used to lift their spirits, was the mastermind, everything did seem hopeless.

She heard knocking on her door but didn't bother opening it. There was no way anyone could get inside-.

"It's rude to lock your headmaster outside!" She cringed. Monokuma hobbled over and jumped on her bed.

"You are not the headmaster anymore, remember?" She replied lazily.

"Doesn't mean you can just brush me off like that! I'm still important." The bear screamed, throwing a tantrum like a child. Kiri smirked, half heartedly.

"Oh really. What does Makoto need you for now? He's the Headmaster now." _And mastermind..._

"I've been his number one Monokuma since Mona-... Why should I be telling you this…none of you brats know anything about me." He fumed. Chihiro really knew what he was doing when he programmed these things. But that also seemed to bug her. Chihiro was a SHSL Programmer, not enginer. She wondered if that was one of Makoto's secret talents, or if one of the fifteen "Remnants of Despair's."

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"Still want to know everything, can't handle the fact that some people don't want to share their secrets with you?" She sat up, annoyed with the bear more than ever.

"How did you get in here?" she asked.

"Oh, just some secret passages here and there. There are a few in the kitchen, two in the gym, ya know," he said proudly. Kiri slowly nodded.

"Is there any chance Makoto can get in here as well?" she narrowed her eyes. The last thing she needed was for him to come inside.

"Upupupup! Nope, but he can see you!" Monokuma's red eye flared. Kiri remembered that it was a camera feeding images to the bear's AI as well as a monitor somewhere. She sighed. Then started to speak again.

"Makoto. You are not enjoying this. I am not enjoying this. So stop. You're plan is pointless, and yes you may have broken some of our spirits, but there is no point. Both sides lose, there is no winner here. So just come to the reality that that's fact."

* * *

The Luckster was sitting, curled up, outside Kiri's room. He heard everything. He scowled and tried being angry… but… he just couldn't be… He couldn't keep running away from all this. It was hard keeping up other personalities. Even when he knew how to manipulate them so well. He just… couldn't. It didn't even work. He had to keep switching repeatedly to get even a glimmer of effect.

He couldn't run away from his memories, the guilt, the _despair_. Thinking about the word make him feel nauseous. He got up from where he was sitting and walked back to his dorm.

* * *

The other students were left in the Multi Media room. They were waiting for Makoto and Kiri to come back. After an hour it was apparent they weren't coming back.

"Damn it all!" Togami shouted.

 **Haha, please check out my polls. Author out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Happy Early Chapter!**

 **Okay, so authors note here. We're getting close to the climax…. If you can call it that… And OOC Monokuma… maybe? Also, FAQ about where the story is going… so… ye.**

 **Just ask something that wasn't clear or whatever and I'll give my best to answer it clearly.**

 **So here's how it's going to go. Next Friday, FAQ answers and stuff and the week after that, (April 29) you'll get an actual plot chapter. I'm still following the bi-weekly updates, but now you get a few answers and whatnot.**

* * *

 _The campus was silent._

 _Three weeks had passed._

No one had seen Makoto for a while now. Occasionally he would pop out to get a drink or snack and taunt them about their despair, but it seems so… so… odd. It was really apparent he wasn't enjoying it at all and he kept changing personalities way more frequent than before. It got to the point where he just stopped showing up entirely. Monokuma was getting him food and drinks, much to the bears dismay. He would mutter something under his robotic breath then disappear again.

Kiri hadn't said much either. She would eat alone in the corner of the room. Asahina tried to make conversation, but Kiri wouldn't respond and would just leave suddenly. The Swimmer knew something was wrong with the two. And seeing how they were stuck here for the rest of their lives, she was going to figure out what was wrong.

The brunette took Hagakure with her, just in case… well… anything would happen. She walked up to Kiri's dorm room and took a deep breath. Then knocked three times. It was a habit the Swimmer developed. She waited and tapped her fingers on her leg. The door opened a crack, and though she wasn't the Super High School Level Detective, Asahina decided to investigate. She walked inside with the Fortune Teller.

"I don't know, man. Kiri is weird. Maybe she's working with Makoto and that's why she's not here…. Or, or-" he shut up when he saw two figures. Kiri, sitting on her bed and Monokuma standing next to her.

"Oh my, oh my! Don't you brats know when to knock?!" The bear asked.

"It's okay, I left it open." Kiri answered.

"Why?" Asahina asked, taking a seat next to her.

"N-no reason, why are you here?"

"Gah! I knew it! They were working together!" Hagakure turned on his heel, preparing to run down the hall and tell everyone.

"No. That's not it. I've been talking with Monokuma, getting answers. And listening to his complaining." She replied. Monokuma started storming all over the room.

"Why wouldn't I complain! Ever since Makoto got his memories back, he's been a depressing sack of shit! It's not even beary fun to be around him anymore! He's stopped spreading despair and it's so bor-ing! What am I now that I'm not the headmaster? I can't even make you kids kill each other anymore! And now he wants me to deliver his necessities?! Ugh!"

He stomped around.

"Uh, sure… so why are you talking to Kiri, of all people?" Asahina asked.

"Upupup! Oh, she's been great company! She's been despairing this whole time! I can't believe I'm saying that about the least interesting of you bunch…."

"I am not despairing." Kiri hissed.

"Oh sure, upupup!"

"So… Kiri… nothing's wrong?" The Swimmer bit her lip. Maybe she was over reacting. "This can't be the way we live out our lives here! We have to be social and trust one another!" She said.

"We won't be living the rest of our lives here. I'm going to make sure of it. I just need some more time." Asahina felt kind of afraid. Afraid of Kyoko Kirigiri. She was so mysterious and never revealed everything she knew. It unsettled Asahina, but she tried to be friendly towards her anyway.

"Are you planning on killing Makoto?" She couldn't help but ask. As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she bit her tongue.

"No. I just need some more time to think about what I'm going to do. I won't kill him though." Kiri said, looking down. Monokuma sat down on the floor next to their feet.

"Oh woes me! She refuses to kill Makoto so I can't even conduct a class trial! Man, I miss them… Those were the days… Upupupupup…" Asahina was uneased by the robotic bear.

"Isn't Makoto watching this through some sort of sci-fi device? Is he even okay?-"

"Who cares! He turned off all the broadcasting cameras and the main television waves. No one's watchin' and he can't see or hear anything. Gah, I miss the days when he enjoyed spreading despair, but now he's wallowing in it. Makes me sick. Whatever Kiri does, I hope it's exciting! Well, see ya kids! I forgot, I have to get Makoto some snacks or something. Whatever..." Monokuma muttered then waddled out of the room. Kiri stood up off her bed.

"Thanks for visiting anyway," she said to her visitors. Asahina blushed happily.

"Okay, everything's fine, can we leave now?" Hagakure asked.

"Sure, I could go for some food." Kiri said, smiling slightly.

"Let's go get some donuts!" Asahina cheered. They walked down the hall smiling the whole way.

* * *

Another day had passed and Makoto was lying on his bed. He glared at the ceiling and thought long and hard about everything he had done in the past two years. Despair and regret filled his mind. This was what he wanted, and this is what he got. Simple as that. But… If this was despair, what did he feel so long ago that made him yearn for this? He had never felt despair like this before. He was sure he was going mad.

There was nothing fine with any of this. Before he got his memories back, before he started the second killing game, he was proud of his plan to spread despair the world. Countries feared him and the Remnants of Despair looked up to him. They all knew he was taking advantage of them, and they knew he would expend them if he needed, but they accepted that. Even Chihiro. He even _enjoyed_ watching others scrummage to despair.

So… What made him feel guilty about it now? Was he just insane before? Yeah, that had to be it. And he got his sanity back by… By forgetting his plans and being regular, everyday student, Makoto Naegi again. And making friends. And becoming their _hope._ Before that final trial he encouraged his friends and filled them with hope. Was that what fixed him?

He thought about contacting the other Remnants of Despair and telling them to call everything off, but would they even listen to him anymore? Maybe they'd even try to get him back to normal. Their normal. The despair spreading normal they had come to recognize him as. But even if he could make them stop, the world was already in ruin. He was pretty sure everyone had his head on their number one hit list.

Ugh, everything was so utterly hopeless…

Might as well rot away in here, it's not like he could do anything else. The brunette got up and walked over to the door. He was hungry, and Monokuma had been gone for waaaayy, too long. He opened it and flinched. Kirigiri and Monokuma were waiting outside.

"Headmaster Makoto, I demand one final class trial. One that decides everyone's fate." The lavender haired girl declared. Monokuma nodded in agreement. Makoto unconsciously smiled, his bashful smile.

"Alright. Monokuma, gather everyone into the trial room. We have one last vote on the docket." He said.

"Alright!" Monokuma saluted.

"Well then," the Luckster said, "Let's get started."

* * *

 **Tidbit here!**

 **I replayed Danganronpa and noticed some things I'd like to make clear…**

 **Junko Enoshima wanted to spread despair to the world because she loved the feeling so much and she never felt guilty because she always felt despair so it wouldn't be too different at all for her.**

 **Makoto, on the other hand, spread despair because he so selfish, he wanted to have the most despair out of everyone. The reason he didn't feel guilty at the time was because he was already on a one way train to being a psychopath.**

 **Monokuma wanted to spread despair because he's a sadistic lil' shit. He doesn't feel guilty because he's a sadistic lil' shit. And a robot… that too...**

 **Remember, FAQ next week! Ask questions!**


	7. Chapter 7

… **So… there are some of you guys who are still into this.**

 **No one asked for the FAQ so that either means I'm doing my job pretty well or you don't care. Either Way, I have less work to do.**

 **I have a range of excuses from I was sick, I forgot, and I lost interest. But I regained that interest when Cinnamontoastken started playing Danganronpa 2. So yee. I personally hate this chapter because it took way to long to write. I had to endure a slew of things to get this one out. I wanna be done with this story and make one for Danganronpa 2. Props one more chapter, but who knows.**

 **OOC characters I guess, they seem fine to me.**

* * *

The elevator ride was quiet. Togami lost his shit when Monokuma came over the intercom and stated they were having one last trial. The real last one this time. But eventually he calmed down… With the threat of a tranquilizer gun… Makoto was standing in the corner looking at everyone with a boastful attitude and grin. Even if you only took a slight glance, you could see that it was plastic. Asahina watched Kiri carefully. She was looking straight down. Probably thinking about what's going to happen.

Monokuma was being obnoxious just by eating a jar of honey. To which Asahina wondered, could the robot even taste honey?

The elevator hit the bottom level and everyone got off. They hesitantly walked to their stations, next to the pictures of their deceased friends. Makoto walked over to his throne, but Monokuma beat him to it.

"Move." Makoto said to the bear. He got a laugh in reply.

"I'm taking back my role as headmaster. Sorry bud, go stand with everyone else." Monokuma sat down. Makoto stared in disbelief.

"But this is _my_ school. _I'm_ the headmaster. Move it!" The bear gasped in fake shock.

"Talking back to your headmaster?! I'll have to punish you if you keep this up." The Luckster stood there with his mouth gaping open, as he wasn't sure if this was real. He blushed as he heard a snicker from behind. To his surprise, it was Togami who was mocking him. Makoto sighed and walked over to his stand.

Kiri hid a smile, but Asahina was able to see it before she cleared her throat and started to speak.

"Okay. No one has been enjoying themselves. Everyone hates it here, even Makoto. Let's start a vote." The Detective announced to the room. Monokuma kept laughing his stupid laugh, and at least three people were pissed off by this.

"Who the hell put you in charge?!" Togami and Makoto asked at the same time, albeit Makoto being slightly quieter than the SHSL Heir. But the Luckster spoke up.

"Okay, so we're doing the same vote as last time? Vote for hope you have to stay here forever. All safe and sound. Vote for despair and wish granted. You can live outside and probably die of nuclear radiation or something. Since you all know what's out there, this is probably going to have the same exact ending as the last vote-"

"You've got that wrong." Kiri shouted. Makoto flinched at hearing his own catchphrase being thrown at him.

"What?" He asked, caught off guard and very confused.

"Well, if this is truly going to be the last trial we have at Hope's Peak, we might as well switch things up." she said in a thoughtful hum.

"But you're not the headmaster-"

"Neither are you. Just because you revealed yourself as the mastermind and Super High School Level Despair doesn't mean you control the school." Makoto laughed to that.

"I'm pretty sure it does."

"Upupupup, sorry Makoto, but you made me the headmaster of this establishment. No take backs." a giddy Monokuma said. "And hamburger hands is right, it would be boring to have the same vote as last time." Kiri nodded.

"I propose a new vote. That goes a something like this, we still vote for Hope and Despair, but this time, if everyone votes for Hope then we all get to leave this place, find hope somewhere else instead of rotting away in this school. But if one of us votes for despair, we stay here, hopelessly lost and bored. So, everyone, let's vote." She smiled, for the first time in a long time, it was a true, hope filled smile. Togami almost flipped out again, but he kept most of his composer. _Most_ of it.

"That's absurd. No one is going to choose to stay here any longer. I'd rather die than be with the likes of you." He frowned, crossing his arms, acting like he was above everyone. Fukawa smiled and did a small dance in her stand.

"Master is so right!" She gushed.

"...w-wait… If I can't be the headmaster… That means I'm a student just like the rest of you." Makoto said, looking up with realization. "I-I can vote here too." Asahina gasped.

"That's right." The Swimmer shouted, eyes wide in fear.

"He's going to vote despair so we're stuck here with him. He won't let us leave." Togami also concluded. "This whole vote is for nothing!" Maybe Kiri was helping him spread despair, even if he lost the inspiration to-

"You've got that wrong!" Okay, so now he was getting thoroughly pissed that she was stealing his catchphrase. She looked to him, with… Something, but it wasn't hope or despair,he couldn't recognize it. "Yes, Makoto is allowed to vote with us, but I'm sure we can convince him to vote for Hope with us." Asahina looked at her confused.

"How are we supposed to do that? Makoto is the SHSL Despair. Despair! He hates hope and just wants to drag us down with him." The donut head said. Kiri smiled.

"I'm sure many of us have lost our hope these last few days. But it doesn't matter. We just have to be determined. Determined to get out of here, along with Makoto."

"Ha, I won't vote for hope, no matter what you say." the Luckster said crossing his arms with a plastic smirk.

"Makoto. Don't think I haven't noticed. You've been conflicted. You can't decide for yourself of who you want to be. You are both, the hope that motivated us to come this far through the previous class trails and the despair that trapped us here and forced us to kill each other. Having memories of two lives like that is stressful. You've been dropping signs left and right. Being the SHSL Detective does come with the luxury of putting those clues together, but it doesn't let me see what you're thinking. Makoto, do you really want to keep us here?"

"..." he stared at the ground. He… really didn't know.

"I'm not going to tell you that this 'isn't the true you' or something like that. I'm asking you who you want to be and what will make you happier. The past doesn't matter right now. I have faith in you. It's clear that you have had a fair dose of despair along with the rest of us. Was it what you expected?"

"I… Uh…"

"This vote isn't for us. We have a clear choice. We want out. It's up to you to choose to be our hope or our despair. Do you want to stay here or do you want to leave this prison of hope and despair and just… Live?" Makoto thought about her words for a long time. He debated in his mind. He thought about what would make him "happy". The whole time he was coating others in despair, was he happy. He was… But not so much anymore.

He recalled his time being his friend's hope. Those times felt more enjoyable. He missed being filled with the warm, bubbly feeling of hope. He sighed and looked at each of his friends, then to the pictures of the deceased students. Makoto sighed and did something he hadn't done in a long time. He smiled liked he meant it.

"Alright… I… I want to vote for hope along with you guys. I'm sick of despair. L-lets end this."


	8. The Unfurfilling Ending

? Years Later

The soft whirring of a fan gave off a fuzzy white noise that filled the whole room. The light was dimmed, as to conserve energy, of which was being directed to the main project that they had to keep under wraps. Gray screens littered the walls, all showing footage of some sort from different angles. Surveillance of the island was crucial, and our protag was intent on watching every second of it.

The humidity of the island was a small price to pay in exchange for the huge endeavor she was about to pull off. The screens all displayed an idle setting of crystal clear waves calm and perfect sandy beaches, calm and untouched. A walkie talkie once woman's belt spouted almost inaudible garble that she could understand as important. She was hesitant whether to start the program or wait for her partner in the business.

Biting her lip in thought, she decided to go for it and turned on an intercom feature.

"Standby. Please begin upload process. Bootup the Neo World Program."

 **So I keep getting emails cuz ya numnuts keep following this story even though I said it was over and it's set to complete. So have a still unfulfilling, quickly made, open ended new close to this story. If I was completely done with Danganronpa (and a lesser soul), I might have deleted the story in shame of my horrendous writing skills from over…. (really? Only) one year ago.**

 **Lucky for you, I'm getting back into the series with V3 underway and have decided to write this god awful mess a sequel. I was thinking about rewriting this mess but figured I'd cringe too much through the process and a new extension to it would be easier.**

 **Imagine it as a DLC for a poor game, except instead of investing money to read it, you're investing time. I'll be titling it "A Blemished Island of a Monochrome Future" and it'll be focused around the second game. So be on the lookout for that, probably coming out this week.**


	9. Sequel is Out

**Pssttt, the sequel is out (finally). You can finally be at ease as you murderalise me for being late. Again.**

 **And you can also stop following this one.**


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